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[series:4924#628] | ||||||
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(Watch+ or Rent-) (All episodes watched): Well, on the one hand this 'I have a chance to prevent an apocalypse' theme is intriguing. Kyle vows that he'll change his own fate and that of his entire world, which won't be easy since the 'humanoid' realm was taken by surprise by the Great Invasion after sinking into a state of false confidence that the demons could be trusted. The OP and ED sequences suggest that a healthy cast of potentially interesting characters will appear, people Kyle will presumably need to interact with in order to achieve his goal. His mother is an 'Archmage', one of only a handful, and she helps him with his research regarding how time travel might take place; it sounds like the Demon King conducted the 'Forbidden Rite' and sacrificed the lives of countless humanoids (humans, elves and dwarves). The Gem, which Kyle still has in his pocket, is known as the 'Divine Dragon Heart'. On the other hand, I was not encouraged by the typical 'Oops, I have fallen into a suggestive position with a girl' bit, or the ED sequence hint that things like more girls in an onsen would be forthcoming. So, at least one more episode will be needed before I decide whether to watch this show. But it at least felt like a serious effort was being made to tell a fairly complex story. Fortunately the boobs bit from episode one was the exception rather than the rule, probably added on the insistence of the anime people in hopes of grabbing a few more viewers. In episode two Kyle gets to work preparing for his mission. He'll be accompanied by his friends Theron and Lise. He has a pretty realistic and sophisticated notion of what will be needed to succeed, since his mind is now three or four years more mature than his body. He knows that a good deal of money will be necessary, but he also knows where a trove of gold that he discovered during the past three years can be found. And he encounters Urza, the beautiful elf woman he once fell in love with. Pretty neat; this show is more sophisticated than most that are about dungeon adventuring. In episode three Kyle retrieves the magical sword he once carried, and Sildonia, the sword's guardian spirit (or something like that) joins the team (another girl). They then use the money they collected to splurge on the best available armor and equipment. And Kyle completes a magical vow to never reveal Urza's secret name or use it to do harm--surely this bit wouldn't have been included if it won't matter at some point in the story. Knowing what the next three years of the future hold, Kyle has a plan to prevent a tragic incident involving a Princess in order to gain the prestige and influence that are needed to advance his greater goal. In episode four Kyle attempts to use a mix of his memories and Sildonia's premonitions to rescue the Princess, but he finds that her death in the original timeline wasn't an accident after all; the dangerous fighter Zentos is involved. I couldn't help but feel that the writing and animating of the various fights in this episode left a lot lacking; the general plot of this show has intrigued me, but not much was invested in making the fights exciting and believable. More of the same in episode five, and here I began to worry about the plot as well. We start out with Kyle and his team fleeing from Zentos men, then they decide 'Hey, why don't we just attack them?'. This episode had a written-by-schoolchildren feel to it. And mowing down opponents wholesale doesn't thrill us, it is boring. It seems as if Kyle and Theron were really never in the slightest danger. We learn why Kyle had a hard time believing that Zentos would take part in such a sordid power play. In episode six we learn why he really did; it made some sense, but still amounted to a noble warrior debasing himself. Princess Melinda, with Kyle's help, rounds up the conspirators who tried to have her killed. The man at the top was a bit of a surprise. I was sure Zentos would remain a major enemy to the final episode, but apparently not. In episode seven Kyle and his companions are sent by the princess—actually, now the queen--to the city-state of Karan with a special message for the governor. But something funny is going on in this mineral-rich place, whose allegiance is unclear, as governor Bax uses weak excuses to avoid seeing them. They encounter Alzard Vane, an old acquaintance of Kyle's mother and now a diplomat of the Gargan Empire, on a similar mission. I was sure Vane would be a 2D villain, what with his frowning expression, but he doesn't last long enough for that. This show is hardly brilliant, but it keeps me curious about what will happen next. Basically, the demons are already on the move, via espionage and assassination, even though there should be several years before the Great Invasion occurs. In episode nine Kyle and crew go looking for another magical sword and encounter the two demon agents (one is a good deal more aggressive than the other) and Bax. In episode ten Kyle challenges the higher ranking one to a duel and bets the new sword against getting an explanation of what the Demons have been up to. Kyle learns that there are pro-peace and pro-war factions within the demon monarchy and the current ruler seems to be in favor of peace but the militant group exercised its influence to send this single spy mission. The less hostile female demon, Yuriga, is spared; no doubt she will turn up again at some point. Indeed, in episode 12 we see her report the results of her mission to the Demon King (who is actually a Demon Queen). Episode twelve is all about politics rather than dueling, which is fine with me. Kyle and friends set out for the capital of the Gargan Empire (I thought they said they were going to go report to Queen Milena). There's a prince, Maiser, who Kyle no doubt knew before his timeshift, but Maizer is suspicious of him this time around. I was certain that this would be a two-season show, since the story was obviously far from complete, but we get the message 'Thanks for watching!' at the end of the episode. All things considered, I hope that we'll get a second season at some point. This show has likable characters and a more sophisticated plot than most sword & sorcery series, so I remain modestly curious how it will work out. Last updated Tuesday, October 07 2025. Created Friday, July 25 2025. | ||||||||
